Software piracy is software’s unlawful use or distribution, leading to substantial revenue loss for software companies. Several laws like copyright, DMCA, trade secret, intellectual property, and anti-piracy laws combat software piracy. Software piracy attracts severe penalties, including fines, imprisonment, and legal liability for damages.

Software piracy is illegal and constitutes a federal crime. The monetary penalties for those who break this law can reach up to $150,000 per instance of copyright violation. An end-user license agreement (EULA) is a license used for most software. It is a contract between the manufacturer and/or author and the end user.

If you or your company are caught copying or distributing illegal copies of software, you could be held liable under both civil and criminal laws. If the software owner decides to sue you or your company, the owner can seek to stop you from using or distributing its software immediately and can also request monetary damages.

Software piracy is a serious crime that can have severe legal consequences. The corporation who violate the law can face fines of up to $150,000 for each case of software infringement. They can also be charged with a felony and sentenced to five years in prison. 17 U.S.C. § 506 (a).